Official homepage of deardarkhead.
DDH will be at the Anchor Rock Club at 247 South New York Ave., Atlantic City, NJ on Friday, January 17th with The Make Three and Cigarettes For Breakfast.
Doors at 7 PM. Show at 8 PM. We go on last around 10 PM.
$10 cash at the door. Tickets can be purchased here.
18 and over.
Be seeing you,
deardarkhead
DDH will be playing the 91.7 WLFR 40th Anniversary party, on Wednesday, October 16th at Stockton University in the Campus Center Coffee House, Galloway, NJ.
Come out and support non-commercial, independent radio. FREE SHOW!
SCHEDULE AND LINEUP:
6:45-7:00 -DJ
7:00-730 - Malcolm Tent
7:30-750 - DJ
7:50-8:20 - deardarkhead
8:20-8:40 - DJ
8:40-9:10 - Te Vista
9:10-9:30 - DJ
9:30-10:00 - The Sheckies
DDH will be playing Yardley Harvest Day on Saturday, September 17th in downtown Yardley, PA on the Fitzgerald-Sommer Field Stage at 2pm. Full entertainment schedule and details here.
“Marking its 54th year this September, the community-wide, family-friendly exhibitor event has attracted visitors from all over the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area. Featuring unique crafters and artisans, businesses, entertainment, and delicious food!”
Be seeing you,
deardarkhead
DDH will be at Bourré, 201 S. New York Ave., Atlantic City, NJ, on Saturday, August 6th. We go on at 9:30 PM at the indoor stage. GRATEFUL DUB: Reggae-infused GRATEFUL DEAD tribute by Roots of Creation to follow at 11 PM. FREE SHOW!
“Part of the rebirth of Atlantic City and the growth of The Orange Loop, Bourré transforms an old gentlemen's club to an industrial New Orleans themed pub - featuring FREE live performances, cajun bbq and themed spirits! Just steps off the boardwalk and neighbors to the iconic Irish Pub, Bourré offers a huge outdoor space showcasing a large bbq smoker, outdoor games and a 40ft shipping container bar! Keeping the company's motto in mind, eat well spend little, this place is unique to Atlantic City because it will not put a hole in your pocket!”
Be seeing you,
deardarkhead
DDH will be at Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall, on Thursday, June 30th (originally scheduled for 6/16) with Malcolm Tent, Oxygen Tent and Bare Bodkin. This should be a fun show, as it will be celebrating the birthday of the one and only punk rock, accordion legend himself, Malcolm Tent! Additionally, our good friend Adam Berardo (1Adam12, Oxygen Tent and Noise Museum) will be filling in on bass for us, backing up Malcolm on guitar and fronting a partial reunion of Oxygen Tent. We’ll also be playing a couple of brand new songs!
FREE SHOW STARTS AT 8PM!
133 S. Tennessee Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ
21+ with valid I.D.
“Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall is a place where friends and family can gather in the heart of Atlantic City just steps from the world-famous boardwalk and beach. You’ll find 40 craft beers on draft and over 60 in bottles and cans. All beers are hand selected by South Jersey food critic and radio personality Scott Cronick. We have several delicious craft cocktails that are modern and approachable. The menu is a modern American twist on juicy hamburgers and hot dogs that will blow your mind from local Chef Charles Soreth.”
Be seeing you,
deardarkhead
DDH will be at Bourré, 201 S. New York Ave., Atlantic City, NJ, on Friday, August 27th.
Things kick off on the outdoor stage at 5:30 PM and the indoor stage at 8:15 PM. We go on at 9:45 PM on the indoor stage.
FREE SHOW!
Free parking in lot on St. James Place - enter through patio gate.
Outdoor stage
5:30-6:00 The Cart Boys
6:15-6:45 Endling
7:00-7:30 Acrolein
7:45-8:15 Twelve Days Straight
8:30-9:00 No Eye Has Seen
9:15-9:45 For Those Who Can See
Indoor stage
8:15-8:45 Duality of Man
9:00-9:30 Crown of Earth
9:45-10:15 Deardarkhead
10:30-11:00 The Goons
“Part of the rebirth of Atlantic City and the growth of The Orange Loop, Bourré transforms an old gentlemen's club to an industrial New Orleans themed pub - featuring FREE live performances, cajun bbq and themed spirits! Just steps off the boardwalk and neighbors to the iconic Irish Pub, Bourré offers a huge outdoor space showcasing a large bbq smoker, outdoor games and a 40ft shipping container bar! Keeping the company's motto in mind, eat well spend little, this place is unique to Atlantic City because it will not put a hole in your pocket!”
Be seeing you,
deardarkhead
After over a year of Covid craziness, we are pleased to report that DDH will be returning to the stage on Saturday, June 26th at the Showboat in Atlantic City, NJ for Boardwalk Budz, a three day lifestyle event for the growing cannabis market featuring vendors, live music, pro wrestling, comedy shows, food trucks and more!
We go on at 1:45 PM and are playing in the 1st floor convention space.
All the live music for the event is free with purchase of admission to Boardwalk Budz,
Tickets can be purchased here.
Be seeing you,
deardarkhead
May 10, 2020 | Time Hinely
South Jersey’s Deardarkhead started as a band shortly after I had started doing this very zine, DAGGER (my first issue was March of 1987 and they began in ‘88). I had met drummer and founding member (and the only original member left) as kids as he grew up down the street from me on the mean streets of Linwood, NJ. Fast forward several years later and Rob is into underground music and forming a band (and working at Sound Odyssey, our local record store in the Shore Mall).
The band was really a breath of fresh air in the South Jersey scene back then as most bands in the scene were either metal or by-the-numbers punk. DDH went across the pond for their influence and gathered it in bands like the Jesus & Mary Chain, Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division and many more (many years ago our friendship was further solidified when he told me he was a huge Naked Raygun fan). The band were able to take these influences and create something truly unique.
Through a myriad of ups and downs and band members, Rob (drums) and guitarist Kevin Harrington (longtime vocalist Michael Amper left nearly a decade ago) hooked up with a bassist last summer, John Bennett and began playing out again and the band is excited about recording new music.
All of the band’s releases had been on their own Fertile Crescent Records, but nearly a decade ago the band got a serious boost when NYC indie label, Captured Track released a compilation of the band’s early days (Oceanside- 1991-1993). It’s a superb compilation and a great place to start for newcomers (of course DDH completists need it as well). In 2016 Texas shoegaze label Saint Marie Records released an EP, Strange Weather. I was a bit hesitant as the EP was their first record as all instrumental, but the songs were so good that I needn’t worry.
As you’ll read below, Rob’s anxious to record more music and hit the stage as well. That makes me excited as I really hope DDH have lots of gas left in the tank.
When did you first start playing drums? Did you pick up any other instruments?
I started playing drums in 2nd grade, but I had always wanted to play drums since I was in kindergarten. We had a piano in my house and all of my family played, so I grudgingly agreed to take lessons. A friend of my mother’s, who was a piano teacher, would come to our house for the lessons. After about three weeks in, during a lesson, I was asked to repeat a song. I asked my teacher if I could use the bathroom first. Minutes and minutes go by, and my mother comes to the bathroom door asking “Rob are you coming out?” My reply was “I want to play drums!” Lesson over, and the rest is history as they say. I started learning to play other instruments when DDH formed in 1988. I got a 4 track and experimented, until I got good enough to write songs on guitar and bass. If you give me an instrument, I’ll make music with it.
What do you remember as the first indie/alternative bands that you began listening to?
I was really getting into New Wave during the last few years of junior high school. Stuff like Blondie, Devo, The Police, The Cars, and The B-52’s. I mostly rejected classic rock at the time, as I wasn’t too interested in bands that were no longer around. By high school (1982-1986), I was getting into bands like U2, The Cure, Echo and The Bunnymen, Duran Duran, Public Image Limited and INXS.
When did you get hired at (South Jersey record store) Sound Odyssey? How long did your tenure there last and what was it like?
I started at Sound Odyssey in 1987. I was going to Stockton State College at the time and had started hanging around WLFR, the college radio station. While I wasn’t a DJ myself, I met a lot of like minded people there, including our mutual friend DJ Bob Portella, who was working at Sound Odyssey then. He put in a good word for me and I got the job. Sound Odyssey was a great record store and I’d probably still work there now if it existed! It was a small chain of about seven stores, owned by the Richman Brothers, and for a mall record store it was amazing. We had a bit of everything: vinyl, tapes, cds, imports, 12"s, 45’s, videos, t-shirts, posters, guitars, effect pedals, small amps etc. I bought so many records at that store and it was an important, formative period in my musical education. I made a lot of great friends there (both employees and customers). It was definitely a social hub of the time, as there weren’t too many record stores in our area. I came in right at the end of the era, and sometime in 1989 it was sold to the British company, W.H. Smith, which turned it into a Wee Three Records and then The Wall. Although it had changed into an average mainstream record store, I continued working there until they shut it down in 1998, but it had moved to the other end of the mall a few years before. After that, I worked at another local record store, CD Warehouse/Exchange, for a few years.
Had you been in any bands before Deardarkhead?
Prior to DDH around 1987-1988, I had started a short-lived band called Aslan’s Pride. We were very U2-esque and only played a handful of shows. Blakely Parent, who had recently moved from Baton Rouge to Ocean City, was our bass player and he would go on to be in the initial line up of DDH.
Tell me about some of your influences. I know you loved a lot of UK stuff like Echo & the Bunnymen and Jesus & Mary Chain but you also loved Naked Raygun.
I’m definitely an Anglophile, as most of my favorite bands are British or from the UK. In terms of my major influences when I started DDH, I’d list: The Cure, U2, Echo and The Bunnymen, The Beatles, Bauhaus, The Police, Joy Division/New Order, The Church, The Psychedelic Furs, The House of Love, The Cocteau Twins, The Jesus and Mary Chain and 4AD/Factory Records/Creation Records in general. While DDH was definitely on the post-punk side of things, we also liked a lot of punk bands: The Dead Kennedys, The Sex Pistols, The Dead Milkmen, The Ramones, The Buzzcocks, Agent Orange etc. I never really got into the hardcore scene, and preferred bands that were more melodic, which is something I’ve always loved about Naked Raygun. They are totally kick ass, but the songs are very anthemic and super melodic.
Tell me about the beginnings of DDH? Was it 1987 (same year I started Dagger)? Was it you, Mike and Kurt early on?
DDH actually started in 1988, after Aslan’s Pride broke up. The original lineup that recorded our first demo “Greetings From The Infernal Village”, was Blakely Parent (vocals, rhythm guitar), Kurt Douglass (guitar), Josh Minor (bass), and me (drums and ebow). So Dagger started a year earlier. Frances Avenue, the street you and I both lived on, was pretty happening for South Jersey!
Tell me about the revolving lineups? I know Blakely Parent came aboard pretty early on. Who else?
We’ve had fairly stable lineups over long periods of time, although at this point I’m the only original member. After the initial lineup, Josh Minor left and Michael Amper came onboard in 1990, as our vocalist and rhythm guitarist, with Blakely Parent moving to bass. Kurt Douglass left in 1992, and was replaced by Kevin Harrington, who is our guitarist to date and is a defining element of our sound. Blakely left in 1994 and we continued on as a three piece. The next major change was Amper’s departure in 2009. Unable to find a suitable vocalist, Kevin McCauley joined us in 2010 on bass and we became an all instrumental three piece. McCauley departed in early 2019 due to family obligations. We had been on a hiatus for a few years before that, as my mother was sick with Alzheimer’s and I was completely overwhelmed dealing with that. She passed in June 2018. Around the end of summer 2019, John Bennett joined us as our bassist, and we’ve done three shows together since the beginning of 2020.
Were the early recordings collaborative or was one person doing a bulk of the writing?
Every DDH record and lineup has been about collaboration. I’ve always encouraged everyone to contribute ideas. We don’t really have one standard way of writing our songs. Sometimes one person will bring in a mostly finished idea or maybe just a few sections and other times we’ve written tunes after jamming on a riff out of the blue. We tend to spend a lot of time arranging the song structures, so it’s definitely a group effort for us.
Was there a specific studio where you did most of the recording?
Every recording was done in a different studio:
Greetings from the Infernal Village - my house Linwood, New Jersey
Spiral Down and Vibrate - Dekar Studio, Northfield New Jersey
Melt Away Too Soon - Audio Plus, Northfield, New Jersey
Ultraviolet - The Catbox, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Unlock the Valves of Feeling - The Churchbox, Lancaster, Columbia, Pennsylvania
Strange Weather - Miner Street Recordings, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Catbox and The Churchbox were both run by Ken Heitmueller and Jay Sorrentino of Suddenly, Tammy!
Did the band tour back them (or now)? What’s the furthest away you’ve played?
We’ve pretty much stuck to the East Coast, as we’ve never had any label support. We mainly concentrated on putting out our own records.
Who are some of the bigger names you’ve opened up for?
The Psychedelic Furs, Supergrass, The Lilys, Everclear.
How do you feel about the early recordings? I still think the Melt Away Too Soon EP is really great.
We’ve always tried to make the best recordings we could, with what we had at the moment. Since we never really had any record label money behind us, we had to pay for all the studio time out of pocket. Most songs were done in a few takes with minimal overdubs. Constraints are a good thing, as you can get lost in infinite possibilities. I think we always sound like DDH, no matter what the lineup is, but I do feel there has been a continuous evolution of our sound over time. I’m proud of every record we have released, and feel lucky to have worked with so many talented people.
Tell me about the Captured Tracks collection, Oceanside: 1991-1993. What year was that and how did it come about?
That came out in 2011. I was at home one summer day, when I got a call from Mike Sniper from Captured Tracks. He wanted to know if we would be interested in having our early recordings released as a compilation, which would be part of a series called The Shoegaze Archives. The idea was to shine a light on American bands, from the late 80’s to early 90’s, that were working in a similar vein as their British contemporaries, (eg. Lush, Ride etc.), but never got the same attention. We were the second release in the series and all of the tracks were remastered with sleeve artwork featuring photography I took, that we used to project on stage when playing. Overall, it was a great experience in terms of exposing an entirely new crowd of people to what DDH has been doing all along. Mike Sniper and the entire Captured Tracks staff were wonderful to work with and we are big fans of many of the bands on the label. Thanks again for contributing liner notes, we were honored!
Your most recent EP is the vocal-less Strange Weather EP Saint Marie Records, the Texas shoegaze label. How did that come about? Will you do more stuff with that label?
After we finished the recording, I shopped it around for the better part of a year with some labels I thought might be a good fit. Wyatt Parkins, from Saint Marie Records, responded favorably and we worked together to get the release out in March 2016. We’d love to do another record with Saint Marie, but that’s up to the label. Strange Weather, certainly got some of the best reviews we’ve ever had, however being a instrumental, shoegazer/dreampop/post-punk/indie rock three piece is a hard sell for a lot of folks. That said, DDH always finds a way to keep doing our thing.
Bring us up to what the band is doing currently. Is there a new vocalist yet? Any new recordings? Shows?
As I mentioned in the lineup question, we played three shows in Atlantic City during January and February 2020, with our new bassist. We played out one new tune and had started working on more material when the Coronavirus pandemic hit. Everything is up in the air until that blows over, but ideally we’d like to write new songs, play more shows, and hopefully make another record sooner than later.
Who are some of your current favorite bands?
There is always a ton of stuff I’m checking out every day, but some of my heavy rotation lately includes: Ringo Deathstarr, Cigarettes After Sex, Khruangbin, Wild Nothing, Tycho, DIIV, Washed Out, The Horrors, Destroyer, Arctic Monkeys, Pinkshinyultrablast, The Wants, Tara, Seablite, Sulk, Feet, Hatchie, Southpacific, Beabadoobee, Slowdive, Ride.
What are your top 10 desert island discs?
Let me just say, as a hard core music junkie, narrowing it down to only 10 choices is next to impossible! This is the hardest question ever, and on any given day you might get a slightly different list. Here are ten records I adore, and still listen to regularly, in no specific order:
The Police, Zenyatta Mondatta
The La’s, The La’s
My Bloody Valentine, Loveless
The Cure, Disintegration
Miles Davis, Kind of Blue
Echo and the Bunnymen, Songs to Learn and Sing
The Dukes of Stratosphear, Chips from the Chocolate Fireball
U2, War
Slowdive, Souvlaki
The Cocteau Twins, Treasure
Final thoughts? Closing comments? Anything you wanted to mention that I didn’t ask?
Thanks for asking me to do the interview. I feel like it could easily go on as long as Jack Rabid's Big Takeover interviews with The Chameleons! For those of you who have never heard of us, please check us out at: www.deardarkhead.com
Bonus questions; What’s the weirdest fan letter or strangest thing you have ever received in the mail regarding the band?
We never got any super weird fan letters, however since we put out the majority of our recordings on our own label, Fertile Crescent Records, we’d get a demo submission now and then. I recall getting a tape from a rap artist in our area early on. I of course politely replied saying that we were in no position to sign any artists and even if we were, rap certainly wasn’t our area of expertise. For all I know it was one of my smart ass friends winding me up, as it was pretty bad. If that was the case, they never let me in on the joke!
https://daggerzine.tumblr.com/post/617737094298779648/deardarkheads-founding-member-and-drummer-rob
DDH will be at the Anchor Rock Club at 247 South New York Ave., Atlantic City, NJ on Saturday, February 29th with Molly Ringworm and Ornamental.
Doors at 7 PM. Ornamental at 9 PM, Molly Ringworm at 10 PM, we go at 11 PM.
$10 ADV/$15 D.O.S. Tickets can be purchased here.
21+ with valid I.D.
Be seeing you,
deardarkhead
DDH will be at Rhythm and Spirits, on Saturday, February 1st with Lay Low. Join us for a night of shoegaze/post-punk/dreampop & indie rock!
FREE SHOW STARTS AT 9PM!
129 S. Tennessee Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ
21+ with valid I.D.
“Rhythm & Spirits is an original concept that celebrates Atlantic City by embracing its heritage and defining its future. Look for the marquee and bright neon pink door flanked by charred Japanese black panels. Inside you will a find an intimate space inspired by pirate life and an old tiki bar. Currently, you can order from neighboring establishments like The Iron Room, Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall and MADE Chocolate and bring food into Rhythm & Spirits.”
Be seeing you,
deardarkhead
DDH will be at the Anchor Rock Club on Saturday, January 4th with Keep This Close, Castle Black, Gene Wildest and The Secondside. Come on out and start the New Year right with some live music!
Doors at 6 PM. We are scheduled to go on at 9 PM.
$12 ADV/$15 D.O.S. Tickets can be purchased here.
21+ with valid I.D.
Be seeing you,
deardarkhead
October 25, 2018 | Ashley Naftule
There are still record labels out there whose cosign means something, labels whose names on the spine of a record clue you in immediately to the kind of world they're trying to build, whose logos act as a stamp of approval. For indie rock lovers, Captured Tracks is just such a label.
The Brooklyn-based label have hit their "aluminum and tin" anniversary this year. In just 10 years, they've assembled an impressive roster of indie acts, ranging from couch-surfing crooner Mac DeMarco and the dreamy Technicolor pop of Wild Nothing to rampaging grunge-punks in Naomi Punk. They've also been killing it in the reissues game, resurrecting classic British DIY groups like The Wake and The Monochrome Set, bringing cassette kingpin Martin Newell's entire discography back into print, re-releasing New Zealand jangle-pop classics from Flying Nun Records, and even putting out deluxe box sets for groups like Nebraskan post-punks For Against.
To celebrate their big 1-0, the label is doing an anniversary tour. Three of their up-and-coming acts are on the road and coming to Phoenix on Friday, October 26: singer-songwriter Lina Tullgren; warped art-rockers Drahla; and "guitarless guitar music" Auckland band Wax Chattels. They represent the label's future, so we thought it'd be fun to look back at Captured Tracks' past and highlight their "top 10." If you're looking for an introduction into the sprawling Captured Tracks discography, these 10 artists are a great place to start.
deardarkhead
Speaking of shoegaze: You can't get much more introverted and gaze-y than the gentle dream pop of deardarkhead. A group of Anglophile rockers from New Jersey, they took their name from an Irish-language poem called “Cean Dubh Dilis” by Sir Samuel Ferguson. Captured Tracks put out a comp of their early work called Oceanside: 1991-1993 which chronicles the band's evolution from moody, Cure-esque post-punk copycats to a sound that's more lush and dreamy. While so many U.S. shoegaze groups tried (and failed) to beat My Bloody Valentine and Ride at their own game by going loud, deardarkhead eschewed tinnitus-guitars for the kind of dreamier, softer dynamic sounds that Slowdive and The Pale Saints were putting out. It’s music that wafts in and out of your ears like smoke: twisting, languorous, and ethereal.
Read the full article here:
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/10-captured-tracks-artists-to-get-you-ready-for-their-10th-anniversary-showcase-10948772
February 12, 2017 | Jason Lamoreaux
Deardarkhead is a New Jersey based band which consists of Kevin Harrington (Guitar), Robert Weiss (Drums), and Kevin McCauley (Bass). The band been active since 1988 and has six releases over that period of time. 2016 saw their first new release since 1998, Strange Weather, and it is a triumphant return, demonstrating that the band has lost none of its chops. Deardarkheadanswered my various questions including those about the history of the band, their new album, and what gear they currently use.
Hello Members of Deardarkhead. Could you please introduce yourselves to our readers and let us know what each of you do in the band?
Kevin McCauley: Bass guitar and newest member of deardarkhead.
Kevin Harrington: Hello, this is Kevin Harrington, and I’m the guitarist for Deardarkhead.
Robert Weiss: I’m the drummer and founder of deardarkhead.
So, how did each of you get started in music and were there other bands you were in prior to Deardarkhead and, perhaps, during the years of this current band?
Kevin McCauley: A friend of mine had a second drum set and since I always wanted to play percussion, he agreed to let me have it for several months. Fast forward more than a few years and another friend started giving me acoustic and electric guitar lessons. At the same time, the cover band he started with his wife needed a bass player. So I borrowed his Fender Precision bass and began learning the 40 plus songs that they covered. Shortly thereafter, I saw an advertisement from Deardarkhead looking for a new bassist so I begged and pleaded until they graciously accepted me into the world of deardarkhead.
Kevin Harrington: I got my first guitar for my thirteenth birthday and I had the normal lessons for a year or so. I jammed with other friends during high school just like everyone else does. It was never anything serious, just having fun. It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties that I actually started taking it seriously and started developing my guitar sound and style. I never played in any real bands until I met up with DDH and I haven’t since joining DDH mostly due to contractual obligations and limitations, just kidding.
Robert Weiss: I’ve been playing drums since I was in grade school, but didn’t start playing in a band until my first year of college. My original group was called Aslan’s Pride, which only lasted for about a year around 1987-1988. We were quite U2-esque. DDH arose from the ashes of that group, at which point I started writing songs and got a 4-track cassette recorder. That really helped me to develop my ideas much more fully.
Since Deardarkhead has been a band since 1988, can you talk a bit about the history of the band and how you’ve seen your approach to writing and recording change over the period, especially considering the change in technology?
Kevin Harrington: I’ll leave the history aspect to Rob. We’ve always had great writers in the band, so we’ve been very lucky. There was never a shortage of great musical ideas swirling around for us to explore. Everyone contributed which made the writing process seem quite fast and easy. We’ve always worked in a very structured way, so at this point I feel that we kind of know when things are or aren’t working. I think my approach to writing has been relatively consistent over the years. Now with the help of some computer recording programs, writing has gotten much easier to do alone. At this point, us getting together happens a lot less frequently, so we have to make those rehearsals worthwhile. Developing ideas with the help of some recording programs allows us to really expand on ideas and developing them into more finished ideas before driving the rest of the band crazy with every little idea or change. As far as recording goes, be prepared and be ready to go when you get in the studio.
Robert Weiss: Ok since our history is fairly long, I’m going to be super lazy and copy and paste the facts from another interview:
I started the band in 1988. The first lineup was with Kurt Douglass (guitar), Blakely Parent (guitar & vocals), Josh Minor (bass) and myself (drums). We recorded a 7 song demo tape called Greetings From The Infernal Village, which we did by ourselves on a 4 track cassette recorder. Soon after that around 1990, Josh left and Michael Amper joined the band as our vocalist, he also played keyboard and guitar. Blakely moved over to bass at that point and we released a 4 song tape Spiral Down and Vibrate in 1991 and then a 4 song cd Melt Away Too Soon in 1992. Kurt left after that in 1992 with Kevin Harrington replacing him as the guitarist. We then released the Ultraviolet cd in 1993 and Blakely left in 1994. After that we became a three piece with Mike on vocals & bass, Kevin on guitar and myself on drums. We next released Unlock the Valves of Feeling in 1998. Mike then left the group at the end of 2009 leaving the future of DDH uncertain. Luckily Kevin McCauley came on board as our bassist during the fall of 2010 and we have been playing as an instrumental three piece ever since.
As for recording, the technology has changed over the years so we’ve used many different methods in the studio, both analog and digital. At the end of the day we always just try to be well prepared and do things in as few takes as possible. What you hear on the records is a pretty good representation of how we sound live.
There were 18 years between albums and the new album is markedly different not having a singer. Can you talk about why such a long gap and the decision to finally record a new album without vocals (a brilliant album by the way)?
Robert Weiss: The crazy thing is that we have never stopped playing since we started in 1988. We’ve had very stable lineups over the years, we just didn’t have any label interest. We released records in very small amounts on our own label, Fertile Crescent Records, when we could. Now there are a ton of bands in our vein, but back then we just did not fit in with the American scene at all. In general, we definitely identify more with British music, as that’s where most of our influences and favorite bands come from.
After our singer/bassist, Michael Amper, left in 2009 we searched for a replacement but had absolutely no luck in finding anyone we liked. Once Kevin McCauley joined us we just started working on material assuming that we’d find a vocalist. It never happened, so we focused on being solely instrumental. Even when we had a vocalist, we always played a few instrumental songs at most shows. It really was an organic transition. We just worked with what we had, trying to make the songs interesting and dynamic enough so that they would stand on their own. We’re glad you like the record! We’ve had some great reviews, so I guess people get what we are trying to do. As much as I love having a vocalist, being instrumental has been challenging and it was a change of pace for us.
I think most bands would have packed it in after all this time without being able to make a decent living from it, however we’re gluttons for punishment and we really do enjoy the creative process. There’s been an evolution of our sound over time and we wanted to make a record that reflected that, while still sounding like classic DDH.
Strange Weather is this album that just has so many wonderful phrasings and sonic choices. How did you approach writing the songs on this particular album and how did you approach the tones and sonics on it?
Kevin Harrington: Often Rob will present ideas that are halfway to three-quarters the way finished. At that point, I help to arrange or to put leads on top of what’s already there to help finish out the song. Sometimes that happens right away, sometimes it doesn’t. As far as guitar tones and sonics go, I’m surprised I’m not deaf yet. It takes a lot of fine tuning of all of the eq’s, distortions, effects, etc., during band rehearsals and working at home. I’m constantly tweaking sounds, always trying to make it better.
Robert Weiss: Other than the fact that it’s an all instrumental record I don’t think we approached Strange Weather any differently. We’ve always encouraged everyone in the band to present song ideas, so it really depends on who has a good one. Sometimes one person has an entire song written and we arrange it together, while adding our individual parts. Other times we jam on something at rehearsal and build it piece by piece. Currently I use Garageband to demo all my song ideas. I tend to layer a lot of multiple guitars to get the ballpark sound I am going for. After that I kick things over to the rest of the group and we refine it, changing and arranging things together till we are happy with it. Mr. Harrington spends a lot of time dialing in the effects, as that’s a huge part of our sound. Since he carries the melody of the songs he has to work a bit harder, so things don’t get boring from section to section.
I must ask. Were there any tracks that did not make it onto Strange Weather and will we get a chance to hear them at some point?
Robert Weiss: We had planned on recording a few more songs, but we were on a tight schedule. Hopefully we will record them for a future release. We did have two of the songs from Strange Weather remixed, which you can download for free over at the When The Sun Hits blog.
I usually like to ask bands about a few tracks on their latest album to get more specific details about writing and recording. Can you talk a bit about the writing, recording, and thought processes behind the opening track “Falling Upward” and the closer “Thinking Back”?
Kevin Harrington: “Falling Upward” came about very quickly. A few years ago, thanks to my girlfriend Dawn, I got a guitar for Christmas! This one was the Fender Squire Strat with the usb output. The first thing that came out of it was “Falling Upward”. I think I recorded all the parts over one weekend. The intro came later. To be precise, it was after having a few drinks and then listening to something off of MBV’s Loveless on the way home. I powered up the rig and out came the intro. There was some band development of course, but all in all, it fell into place quickly.
For the closer, “Thinking Back”, well that’s another story. That one started with the opening just like you hear on the recording, but the parts in the rest of the structure went through quite a development process lol! The song was probably three-quarters of the way finished when I had the brilliant idea to totally change the style of the song lol!! Fortunately, Rob reeled me back in and we picked up where we left off. That was a close one. That’s why I trust Rob and his voice of reason, most of the time lol. I think I drove Rob and Kevin crazy on that one, but in the end, I’m very happy with it.
Robert Weiss: Mr. Harrington had come up with demos for Falling Upward and Thinking Back, but when we were finally finished working on both of them as a band, it was pretty obvious they’d make great opening and closing tracks. I think they bookended the ep very nicely. Falling Upward sets the tone for the ep with its long building, atmospheric intro and Thinking Back resolves things sonically and emotionally like an exclamation point at the end of a sentence.
For our gearheads, what sort of equipment do you all use while recording and, if different, live?
Kevin McCauley: For recording, Line 6 Bass Pod XT, Hartke amp and miked 4×10 cabinet, and a glorious 1970s Fender Jazz Bass found in a local yard sale by guitarist Kevin Harrington. Most of the time playing live, I use a Fender Jazz bass Mark Hoppus Signature model paired to the aforementioned rig.
Kevin Harrington: I’ve been using a DigiTech 2101 Artist rack unit as my processor since the mid 90’s until now. It goes thru a Rocktron Velocity 300 rack unit which I run in stereo to two 2×12 cabs with Celestion Seventy 80’s. The only pedal I use is a Morley Bad Horsie wah. The guitars I used on Strange Weather are my Squire Strat from the late 80’s, it has a Hot Rails in the bridge. My Les Paul Pro with Burst Bucker pickups and my 12 string Strat. This is my normal rig for everything I do. The guitars have changed over the years depending on what we’re playing. I like to rotate them from time to time for various reasons.
Robert Weiss: Live I use a 4 piece, Tama Granstar Custom drum kit (14” x 6” stainless steel snare, 13”x 9” mounted tom, 16” x 16” floor tom, 16” x 22” bass drum), Paiste cymbals (3000 series 14” Sound Edge Hi-hats, 2002 series 22” Heavy Ride, 2002 series 18” Crash, 802 series Splash) and a 16” Custom Projection Zildjian Crash. For Strange Weather, I used a house kit at Miner Street Recordings with my snare and cymbals.
If you would Kevin, could you tell us how you get that dreamy tone like in “Ice Age”?
Kevin Harrington: Like all the songs on Strange Weather, except for “Falling Upward”, which has only one guitar part, I layered two guitar parts. One rhythm and one lead of course. I recorded each part twice, one panned left, one panned right. Generally I used lightly distorted, chorused, delayed and reverbed sounds for the rhythm tracks and more full blown versions for the lead tracks. The tremolo effect at the end of Ice Age was something we did in the studio.
As individual musicians, do you have artists or writers that you consider to be influences on how you write, approach, or generally think about music?
Kevin Harrington: Yes definitely, over the years there have been many influences, too many to mention. Sometimes the mood that a song evokes or the tempo or the effects on the guitar etc. There is so much great music of all styles out there, that it’s hard not to always be wanting to grab an element from a song or an artist or a style of music. With so much great music out there, the challenge of writing becomes greater.
Robert Weiss: I could talk about bands I like all day long, so on some level everything I hear is an influence. I am a music junkie and I’m always listening to a wide variety of music every day. I’d say initially, 4AD, Creation Records and Factory Records were huge influences on our sound. Those labels all had a certain aesthetic to their approach even though not all the bands sounded the same. The Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Church, the Cocteau Twins, the Jesus and Mary Chain, U2, The Police, and Joy Division were all big influences on me when we started out.
Thanks so much for doing this. I have one last question. What’s next for Deardarkhead?
Robert Weiss: Thank you for the interview! We just hope to be able to keep making music and putting out records that we like. The past few years have been extremely difficult for me personally, as I’ve been taking care of my mother who has Alzheimer’s Disease. It’s a terrible thing to see someone you love slip away every day. All I can say is use your time wisely while you are alive, do the things which bring you joy, and love the people who are important to you.
https://somewherecold.net/2017/02/12/an-interview-with-deardarkhead/
December 31, 2016 | Jason Lamoreaux
Deardarkhead is a shoegaze band made up of Kevin Harrington (guitar), Robert Weiss (drums), and Kevin McCauley (bass). They hail from Linwood, New Jersey and formed in 1988. Between their last album, Unlock the Valves of Feeling and Strange Weather, there is an 18-year silence. Thankfully, Deardarkhead has reemerged on Saint Marie Records joining a resurgence of shoegaze and dream-pop music. Strange Weather sees the band return as a trio, producing six pieces of ethereal, blissed out tunes. They deftly merge the best of post-punk and shoegaze to create addictive instrumental tracks.
“Falling Upward” sets the tone for Strange Weather and it begins with subdued, whirling drones and muffled guitars. Then the volume begins to rise and the drums and bass explode into the speakers. The guitar tones here are reminiscent of early post-punk music mixed with the best elements of shoegaze with glittering guitar tones and expressive melodies. “Sunshine Through the Rain” has a bright tone to it, with mid-tempo drums, driving bass, and jangly guitar. The hooks here are brilliant. They are the kind that get stuck in your head and having you humming along. Deardarkhead produce addictive music and it’s a wonderful mix of new musical elements and tones with dabs of post-punk nostalgia.
“Juxta Mare” is a fast tempo piece with racing high-hat that turns into a tom oriented beat. There are splashes of The Cure and Echo and the Bunnymen mixed with the wonders of early Lush here. Again, Deardarkhead’s output is deeply addictive and hypnotic. “March Hares” has a deep rumbling bass with this amazingly wonderful aggressive guitar hook playing over mid-tempo drums. This is a post-punk masterpiece right here, unapologetic and in your face. With only three elements to the band’s musical make-up, each one must be strong and Harrington, Weiss, and McCauley deliver on their various pieces. There is no weak link here.
“Ice Age” is another track filled with catchy riffs and perfectly phrased bass and drums. There is a sort of galloping beat with reverbed-out guitars that play off the animated bassline. If there is a stand-out piece on this album, for me it’s “Ice Age”, but that’s like picking among six solid tracks. “Thinking Back” begins with subtle guitar and a slower beat. The guitar work creates a hazy wall of sound with touches of fuzz. As “Thinking Back” builds, the guitars get bigger and louder with the percussion and bass becoming more and more syncopated and aggressive. A fantastic ending to the album.
Deardarkhead has made a striking comeback with Strange Weather. Blending post-punk and shoegaze elements, Strange Weather is a must have album for any discerning listener. Further, if you were a Deardarkhead fan before and were nervous about them lacking a lead singer, you shouldn’t be. The compositions are deep, full, and will certainly get you hooked.
https://somewherecold.net/2016/12/31/deardarkhead-strange-weather-saint-marie-records-2016/
Shoegaze pioneers deardarkhead started releasing music in 1988. Their career has spanned decades because they continually create music that is beautiful, timeless and compelling. The band represents the very best of both the classic and current shoegaze movements.
This is the second exclusive remix deardarkhead plans to release for absolutely free via When The Sun Hits. The remix is by Big Beautiful Bluebottle, which is the duo of Ian Masters (Pale Saints/Spoonfed Hybrid/ESP Summer) and Terako Terao. The song is taken from the band's highly lauded Strange Weather LP, which was released in March 2016 by Saint Marie Records.
Download MP3 here.
Shoegaze pioneers deardarkhead started releasing music in 1988. Their most recent release, the highly lauded Strange Weather, came out earlier this year via Saint Marie Records. Their career has spanned decades because they continually create music that is beautiful, timeless and compelling. The band represents the very best of both the classic and current shoegaze movements.
RxGibbs’ remix of “Sunshine Through the Rain” is the first of several exclusive remixes deardarkhead plan to release (for absolutely free) via When The Sun Hits. The original songs are taken from Strange Weather and the exclusive remixes are done by true innovators in the field.
Download MP3 here.
2016 | Elizabeth Klisiewicz
Atlantic City might seem like a strange home for shoegaze, but despite their EP title, there is nothing strange about Deardarkhead’s majestic, instrumental brand. They pull out all the stops on this madly whirling dervish, throwing down shimmering walls of feedback, then pulling back to dreamy textures to make you swoon. “Falling Upward” starts like old school Chameleons before jacking up the energy to 11; “Ice Age” has cool bass and percussion lines that skitter along in the best post punk tradition, and its companion, “Juxta Mare,” skids more toward classic shoegaze; “March Hares” sounds massive with booming drums and guitar that reminds me of “She Sells Sanctuary”-era Cult; “Thinking Back” is a crowning achievement, with towering shards of blissed out guitar and thick bass. The entire ep slips by in a flash, leaving the listener wanting much more.
June 16, 2016 | Joe Wawrzyniak
Beautifully moody and dynamic, with a stunning wealth of pungent brooding atmosphere and a wealth of tasty big meaty hooks, this six song album of all instrumental music manages to convey a remarkably expressive soundscape rife with crackling vitality and naked emotion despite the absence of any words or vocals. The tight and tuneful arrangements hit the bull's eye with bracing accuracy and aptitude: The cutting guitars slice away with remorseless precision, the teeming basslines provide lots of gutty undertow, and the powerful drums lay down a steady succession of massive steamrolling beats. An ideal album to get lost in whenever you need a break from the tiresome grind of basic everyday existence.
http://www.jerseybeat.com/world-according-to-wawrzyniak.html
May 6, 2016 | Bob Portella
South Jersey's deardarkhead have been toiling away in somewhat obscurity for what seems like decades...28 years to be exact. They play an atmospheric, instrumental rock style (self-described as "oceanic") that owes debt to British post-punk bands like The Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen and Cocteau Twins.The Linwood-based band, which formed in 1988, has had their fortunes change recently. A new deardarkhead record "Strange Weather" was released on March 25th on the Texas-based label Saint Marie Records. Reviews and response to Strange Weather have been very positive so far from many corners of the world. A previous compilation of their earlier material from the 1990’s was released in 2011 on the Brooklyn label Captured Tracks, home to popular indie rock artists such as Mac DeMarco and Beach Fossils.
The recent resurgence and reunions of many similar-sounding bands, defined as “dream pop” or “shoegaze" (such as My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Lush) have helped lesser known, yet hard-working bands such as deardarkhead find a wider audience. “Unlike the well known bands from the original shoegaze scene, we’ve never stopped playing since we started and people are finally beginning to discover us. Although we have evolved over the years, we have tried to remain true to our sound while still being modern and not stuck in the past. We don’t make music for the masses, and given the sorry state of mainstream music today we wouldn’t want to,” says drummer and founding member Robert Weiss.
The band also comprises guitarist Kevin Harrington who joined in 1992 and bassist Kevin McCauley who joined in 2010, replacing former bassist/vocalist Michael Amper. They remain an instrumental trio to this point,but would be willing to find a vocalist if one came along. “Losing your singer would be a major setback for most bands, but it has forced us to be more creative in our songwriting and we are very happy exploring our new direction; it would really have to be the right person,” says Weiss of the situation.
For now, deardarkhead's power resides in Harrington's melodic,flowing effects-laden guitar lines and the sturdy rhythm section of Weiss and McCauley.Recording and production was done in Philadelphia's Miner Street studio, bringing out perhaps the finest sounding piece of music in the band's career. For now, who needs vocals? There is so much to take in and get lost in their epic, shimmering sound. Hopefully, deardarkhead's fortunes will continue "Falling Upward"-- as noted in the propulsive opening track-- proving that persistence does indeed pay off.
May 4, 2016 | Joseph Neff
Record labels have long served a necessary if occasionally nefarious function, and predictions of their eventual obsolescence to the contrary, they remain very important in getting music into earholes and physical product into covetous mitts, and more to the point the appropriate audience; one of the advantages of the smaller independent sector is the ability to craft an identity that consumers will potentially return to again and again.
That’s the case with Saint Marie. If the indie business is still healthy the margin for error has certainly decreased in the digital era; too many missteps and an enterprise will probably find itself kaput. One smart maneuver is to embrace the longevity of substance over the ephemerality of style; Saint Marie has done so by signing up deardarkhead, an Atlantic City NJ-based combo active since 1988.
For the majority of their existence they featured the bass and voice of Michael Amper. Upon his exit in 2009 guitarist Kevin Harrington and drummer Robert Weiss chose not to cease operations until a full-on replacement was found, instead grabbing bassist Kevin McCauley and recording Strange Weather as an instrumental while continuing to seek a suitable vocalist.
Those wishing to absorb how deardarkhead sounded early are advised to investigate Oceanside: 1991-1993 compilation issued in 2011. They shouldn’t do so at the expense of the group’s latest however, as Strange Weather’s six tracks, at 25 minutes hovering in that gray zone betwixt EP and LP, offer fully-formed songs that tease the ears for a lengthier listen.
Oceanside was the second installment in Captured Tracks’ Shoegaze Archives, and while elements of the form can surely be detected here, the set also explores deardarkhead’s cited tendency toward post-punk with emphasis on catchiness, tightness, and drive throughout. The songs play to their instrumental strengths as incompleteness is pleasantly absent; nothing connects as being conceived with a singer in mind.
Combining crisp guitar and a tough Joy Div/ Cure-descended rhythmic foundation, the set’s opener “Falling Upward” avoids the mopey and gradually elevates to an energetic conclusion. “Sunshine Through the Rain” follows with an excursion into dream-popish territory as “Juxta Mare” provides a lively tempo to showcase Harrington’s axe.
“March Hares” begins side two to deliver the record its rousing standout, “Ice Age” is a deft blend of atmospherics and momentum and “Thinking Back” spreads out with rolling bass notes, sharp guitar tones and drum kit gallop to bestow Strange Weather a sturdy finale. Harnessing a sustained, fertile environment, the album’s main sticking point is its relative shortness.
B+
